Tips on moving broody hen?

diamondsilkies

Songster
Oct 23, 2017
713
1,198
181
Southern Arizona
I have a broody silkie that I'm letting hatch out chicks. She only has three eggs, and this is her first time, but she has been very loyal to them and I have to make sure to give her food and water because she won't get up. All the eggs are viable (candled two nights ago) and they're on day 6 right now.

The only issue is, she has decided to make her nest right by the feeder, against the wall, with no nesting box or anything. I use sand in my coop, too, so there's no hay to make a nest. I have a cardboard box with paper shavings that I was planning to put her in, but when I tried to do that earlier today, it didn't go so well.

She sat in the nest, but didn't pull her eggs underneath her. After about 20 minutes, I went to push them under her and she freaked out. She jumped up and started running all over, squawking. I was worried I had broken her broodiness, so I took away the box and put her eggs back on the ground. After about five minutes she came over and settled down on them again. I let her be, relieved she was still interested in sitting on the eggs. I've never had to deal with this because my broody hens always take to the nesting box, but not this one.

Eventually, I will need to move her into the brooder so she can be alone with her chicks. I have individual nesting boxes, and I usually just carry the nest over to the brooder, but I can't do that this time since she's not in a nest. Worst case scenario, she stops being broody and I put her eggs in my incubator, with some other eggs that are already in there and were set on the same date. But I would really like her to be able to hatch these out. She's been broody several times before, but I never let her go through with it because she's still pretty young, about 10 months old.

Any tips on how to move her into a nest?:confused:
 
Try to move her in the box at night. It is better at night because they are sleepy at night and dont notice. Move her into the nest and block her with cardborad or wood ply. If she still dont sitt on them. And if u dint have any option than you have to make a brooding place on ground or else place nesting box on ground. Also dont try too hard it will stress her and alo possibly break her from broodyness. Good luck with your broody and hatch:D
 
I agree with Swastik Choudhari, I assume the current nesting spot is somewhat protected from the weather etc... Just pen it off right before the expected hatch date, a couple of days after the hatch you can move the whole family (though a shortly after the chicks arrive my broodies are set loose with the babies to roam the coop with the rest of the flock, however if your coop is very small that may not be an option).
 

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